Celebrity Status

Hello everyone. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Spring back in the States. For the past month Leah and I have been trying to develop a sustainable GRS model in Richmond. We have identified two program managers to take over the site once we leave. Our two appointed managers are Saddam and Ova. For the last two weeks we will be training the boys to handle the everyday work of a GRS project. Ensuring quality education, making sure coaches are on time, coaches are paid, materials are set for the day, and responsible for organizing the next round of school and street league sessions.

For school sessions Leah has set up work in the middle school, Ikhaya. We are currently in the 7a and 7b class, about 100 students. We have also launched our street league programs. Street Leagues allow us to incorporate both HIV education and soccer. Saddam, Ova, and myself set out and targeted the High School for street leagues. 70+ girls and boys attended the first day of street league. Day 1 the kids were split into soccer teams , signed the GRS contract, and played a little Find the Ball. Next, week the children will comptete in their first soccer match and 2 additional GRS games. All street leagues are held at the Richmond sports stadium, which currently is being renovated by our funders, Hope In Richmond.

Hope In Richmond plan to build a soup kitchen, GRS office, counselling rooms, and a recreation game room for Richmond youth. Saddam and Ova will set up the GRS office sometime in May permanently establishing GRS in Richmond. Last on the agenda is one final testing tournament. Leah and I hope to hold a testing tournament May 10th. The testing tournament will bring local nurses and counsellors to the soccer field to administer on-site testing. I am pushing for a testing tournament in Richmond because I have heard that 30% of the High School was found to be HIV positive. A testing tournament will allow others to know their status and give us the opportunity to guide them in seeking medical treatment.

Street League boys who arrived on horseback.

Contract

Contract with Saddam and Sticka. Contracted painted on the wall of the sport stadium so others can see why GRS is here and what we expect from our participants. (Respect, Comfort, Particpate, Share)

Weekends in Richmond are not always the most exciting. Fridays the electricity is turned off and Sundays are devoted to church. One weekend Leah, Ben, and I went for a tour of the location with Saddam. Saddam was kind enough to walk us around the entire township, from the government housing to the scrap medal squatter camps. Everyone knew our names. Little kids ran up to me screaming, "Beth or Sisanda!" I have finally reached celebrity status here in Richmond. The girls wanted to play with my long hair and the little boys wanted me to dance with them in the street. To my surprise I saw a group of little boys playing with a flat football. Football, I had not seen a football in about a year. As I approached the boys I noticed they were dropping the football to the ground and kicking it around like a soccer ball. I guess the Americans who brought over the football never taught the boys how to use it. They do what is natural to all Africans, soccer baby.

Another weekend Leah and I spent out on a Richmond farm. The town of Richmond is only a half mile long, one street and about 30 B&Bs. The rest of Richmond is desolate Karoo farmland. Each farmer owning about 30,000 acres of land. Leah and I spent the weekend at the Ackermann farm. I had the opportunity to ride horses and assist the farm workers in herding sheep. The Karoo is not a forgiving terrain with jagged rocks, steep inclines, cactus, and thick prickly bushes. Herding sheep was very exciting. The horses knew exactly where to position themselves. Naturally the sheep grouped together and the horses were responsible in steering them in the right direction. After sheep herding we chased down some Zebras, Springbok, and Impala. Great little weekend in Richmond, South Africa.

Samuri
Sheep Herding
Karoo Desert

Cute baby lamb and her Mom.